CÉSAR ROMERO (1907–1994)

César Romero referred to himself as the “Latin from Manhattan.” Born February 15, 1907, in New York City, Romero’s parents were Cuban and it was rumored that his grandfather (some sources say godfather) was the island’s revolutionary hero José Martí. When the stock market crash of 1929 decimated the family’s holdings, Romero secured a job at a Wall Street bank. In later interviews, he admitted that a career in business would have made him miserable, so when dancing became a viable livelihood, he jumped at the chance to display his aptitude in New York theaters and nightclubs. Acting followed soon after.  He debuted on film with a bit part in The Shadow Laughs, followed by a role as the wealthy and decadent Chris Jorgenson in The Thin Man.

After meeting Warner Baxter on an earlier project, Romero teamed with Baxter for his first role in a Western, The Return of the Cisco Kid, in 1939. Usually cast as a Latin lover, a gigolo, or a gangster, in the Cisco film Romero played the part of López, a vicious, obnoxious brute. He starred as Cisco in the next six films and was the first Hispanic actor to play the part. During the 1940s he managed to go back to the stage, doing a number of musicals opposite Betty Grable, Alice Faye, and Carmen Miranda.  Eventually, César Romero transitioned to television and was known for his portrayal of the comic villain the Joker in the Batman series of the mid-1960s.